


Apples (or, The Quest for Breakfast)

by incandescent (lmeden)



Category: Thor (2011)
Genre: Gen, Hansel & Gretel - Freeform, fairytale AU, norsekink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-11-05
Packaged: 2017-11-18 01:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmeden/pseuds/incandescent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Loki provides the adventure, and Thor provides the muscle. An Hansel & Gretel AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apples (or, The Quest for Breakfast)

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt at norsekink: [[Crossover] Young Loki/Thor as Hansel and Gretel](http://norsekink.livejournal.com/11219.html?thread=24187091#t24187091)
> 
> There was more to it, of course, but the idea itself set me off, and in a single night I'd written this up. It was a bit feverish, really, but I'm thrilled to have this finished and posted. It's a little bit cracky, so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> [HERE](http://leavesogold.livejournal.com/10026.html) at lj.

“I have an idea,” Loki said. He was perched upon the end of Thor’s bed, legs crossed beneath him, staring up at the gilded ceiling. Thor didn’t know what he saw there, as it was the middle of the night and the gold hardly gleamed with the light of the single candle by Thor’s bed at all. Thor glanced up at the warm darkness above. 

Then he wrenched his hand free from the sheets and dragged it across his face. “I don’t want to hear it,” he said. Loki’s ‘ideas’ never ended well for Thor. 

Thor turned over and turned his face into the feather-stuffed pillow. He felt Loki lean forward and press his weight onto Thor’s ankles. Thor resisted the urge to snatch his legs away. 

“Oh, but you’ll like this one,” Loki wheedled. 

“You always say that,” Thor growled into the pillow. 

“And I always mean it!” Loki exclaimed. He shifted his weight off of Thor’s ankles, only to dig his knees into Thor’s thigh and hip and the heels of his hands into Thor’s shoulders. 

Thor groaned and yanked the pillow out from under his head, swinging it at his brother. It exploded into a storm of floating feathers before it even neared Loki’s face. 

When the feathers parted, his grip on Thor’s flesh hadn’t lessened one bit, and Thor saw that Loki’s lips were drawn back into a grin. “You know I won’t leave without you,” he said, and Thor could _feel_ the mischief dancing in him. 

“That was my favorite pillow,” he said in lieu of reply. 

Loki laughed, tossing his head back to expose the slim line of his throat. In a smooth motion he rolled off of Thor and tugged his brother toward the side of the bed. “Come then,” he said. “And I’ll find you a new one.”

Thor sighed. “Fine,” he said, pushing himself to his feet and stretching. He was stiff – he wished Loki wouldn’t have these brilliant plans in the _middle of the night_ so very often. It was wreaking havoc on his rest and causing mother to worry about the dark circles forming under his eyes. He rubbed at one. “But this is the last time, understand?”

Loki’s laugh was more genuine this time, less cutting as he said, “You say that every time, brother,” and tossed Thor’s tunic into his face. 

-

Thor’s grip on Loki’s waist tightened as they came over the rise and he saw what lay below. More forest. He’d hoped that when they reached the top of the hill they’d be able to see the way back to Asgard’s palace, but he’d been wrong. There was nothing below them but the immense forest that bordered the Ginnungagap, and nothing above but splinters of Ymir’s bones, glinting in the black sky. 

In the distance, the sky was beginning to lighten. They’d been riding for _hours_. Thor groaned. 

“Oh, do shut up,” Loki murmured, and spurred Sleipnir down the slope. 

Though the eight-legged horse’s gait was uncommonly smooth, and his strides long, Thor was forced to cling to Loki to keep his balance. He should never have allowed his brother to sit in front and take the reins – he was notoriously bad at finding his way anywhere, having been known to lose himself within Asgard’s familiar passages.

“You still haven’t told me what we’re looking for,” Thor said, most of his attention on a large boulder that Sleipnir slid around on his way down the slope. 

“Oh, it’s right around here,” Loki replied vaguely. “I thought you liked surprises.”

“Not when they make me miss breakfast,” Thor grumbled. His stomach roiled in sympathy and he looked around in vain, searching for the towers of Asgard – if only they were playing in the fields outside home like when they’d been children, with a hot meal only moments away. 

Loki pulled back on the reins, turning Sleipnir and digging his sharp elbow – and why was he so sharp and bony all the time, and always poking Thor – into Thor’s empty stomach. He _knew_ he should have grabbed something from the kitchens before he let Loki drag him out here. 

“Wait,” Thor said suddenly. “Loki, stop.”

Loki was ignoring him, though, so Thor reached forward and snatched Sleipnir’s reins from his hands. He pulled back and the horse slowed, canting its body to balance on the slope. Loki whirled on Thor, eyes fierce and flashing. 

“Hey! What do you think—”

Thor simply clapped his hand over Loki’s mouth to stop him and spun his brother bodily, forcing him to look in the same direction as Thor. 

“There,” Thor said. “Do you see it?”

Loki relaxed against Thor minutely. Thor felt him looking, his eyes narrowing and gazing out over the dense trees. Then Thor felt something warm and wet against his palm, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Loki’s tongue. 

He yelped and snatched him hand back, vaguely grateful that Loki hadn’t chosen to bite him. 

“Ah, yes,” Loki said, turning Sleipnir’s head. “Smoke.” 

“Exactly,” Thor said, eyeing the dark plume rising over the leaves. His stomach growled. “And where there is a fire, there must be food.”

“Your logic is _infallible_ ,” Loki drawled. “I can’t—“

His jaw snapped shut and cut off his words as Thor dugs his heels into Sleipnir’s sides and the eight-legged horse leapt forward, carrying them smoothly down the hill and towards – Thor hoped – breakfast.

-

Loki stopped just outside the orchard, where a single fallen fruit had rolled. Its skin was the dark red of spilled blood, yet where it had split open, Thor could see golden, shining flesh. Loki nudged it with the toe of his boot. 

“Spoiled,” he said, frowning. “Its seidr is spent.”

Thor crouched down and peered at the fruit. He’d never seen one like it, but it didn’t seem magical to him. He glanced up into the orchard – rows and rows of gnarled trees, each one heavy with leaves and dark, garnet fruit. “What do you mean?”

“Of course you haven’t heard of the fruit with golden flesh,” Loki sneered, sending Thor surging to his feet. 

“I have!” he exclaimed, though truly he had not. What was the fruit with golden flesh? He edged backwards slightly, away from the broken sphere. 

“You have not,” Loki pronounced. Thor scowled at him – how did Loki always know when he was lying? “These fruits are the product of some of the most magical trees in all of Asgard – they’re known as Idunn’s apples.”

“ _Oh_.” The word slipped from Thor’s mouth before he could hold it back. “They heal wounds, right?”

“Yes, that so it is said,” Loki corrected. “And provide immortality, and food for those who hunger, and a cure for any illness. But I have never heard of a single being who has managed to taste them.”

Thor frowned. “Why? It wasn’t exactly _hard_ to find this place.”

Loki rolled his eyes at Thor and shoved his dark hair back from his eyes. “It isn’t that no one has found this orchard – of _course_ they have, or how else would I know that it exists?” His brow raised and Thor flushed, feeling a thousand times the fool. “It’s just that no one has managed to eat one of Idunn’s apples and live.”

“But I thought that they gave… long life, and all that.” Thor waved his hand at the orchard in general.

“They do,” Loki said in a tone that suggested if he had to explain any further he would simple give up and leave Thor here for the ravens to fetch. “But the orchard is guarded by one who does not let her fruit leave its boundaries. Anyone who has stolen an apple of Idunn has swiftly been killed, or so I’ve heard.”

Loki backed a few steps from the orchard, towards the thick trees of the forest. “Even I, who know much seidr,” he said, twitching his fingers through the air, “wouldn’t dare fight her.” He glanced up at Thor. “Let’s go, brother, and save this adventure for another time. We can still find that surprise I promised, if we go now.”

He turned away and headed back to where Sleipnir was ground-tethered, nose in the brush and sniffing for clover. Thor made to follow him, then paused. His stomach clenched and he looked down at the apple that had rolled outside the confines of the orchard – which had split open and was glistening in the crisp morning air. 

Its magic might be wasted and gone, but that didn’t matter to Thor – all he wanted was a bite, something to hold him over until they found the palace again, and breakfast. His gaze flicked up to Loki, and finding his back still turned, he bent swiftly and grasped the fruit, lifting it carefully and making to follow. 

He took a quick bite, taking almost half the apple into his mouth at once and chewing swiftly. The flesh of the apple was soft, and bright, and sweet, and juice dripped down Thor’s chin. He was wiping it away when he heard a footstep crunch in the orchard behind him. 

Thor froze, and saw Loki’s chin jerk up ahead. 

He turned slowly, lowering the apple and attempting to hide it behind his hip. Loki whirled, tunic flying, and darted forward to Thor. 

“What have you _done_?” he hissed and knocked the fruit onto the ground. Guiltily, Thor swallowed, and Loki sneered at him viciously. He wrenched his gaze away from Thor and stared out into the orchard, and Thor slowly followed his lead. 

“Hello, Idunn,” Loki said, his voice smooth and pleasant. Thor wondered _how_ he could sound so at ease when his body seemed ready to shatter with tension. 

Between two rows of gnarled apple trees stood a woman almost as tall as the trees themselves, far taller than Thor (and if so, certainly Loki). Her long brown tunic was belted at her waist and her skirt flowed to the ground. Her hair was long and dark, and her eyes were sharp and pale. A pair of immense shears were tucked into the belt at her waist, and the long fingers of one hand were wrapped around them, as if ready to pull them free. 

Thor reached for his own belt and the dagger that was sheathed there. If only he had something more; if only he was old enough to have received Mjolnir, he wouldn’t be so worried about facing this creature. Loki’s fingers wove through his own, stilling Thor’s thoughts. 

“It is a fine morning, is it not, my Lady?” Loki continued as if nothing was amiss. “My brother and I were lost in the forest and stumbled upon your beautiful orchard, but alas, for we must be home before the sun rises fully, or Father will miss us.”

The lady in the orchard – Idunn – smiled, and Thor saw that she was not merely harsh and terrible, but beautiful as well. “It is indeed a lovely morn,” she said, her voice as raspy and soft as the susurrus of leaves. “Such a shame that two thieves have come to my home and _ruined_ it.”

“Not thieves, my Lady,” Loki said, and stepped forward, away from Thor. 

Thor’s grip on his dagger tightened and he readied himself to follow his brother – damn Loki for acting so commanding; sometimes he made even Thor forget that he was the older brother, and Loki the younger. If Loki would only act his age, then maybe the two of them wouldn’t get into so much trouble. As he stepped over the orchard’s boundary, Loki appeared slim and frail, still coltish with youth and foolish with book learning, and so inadequate next to the Lady Idunn’s stature. 

Thor edged towards the pair. 

“We are the Princes of Asgard,” Loki said, and bowed easily at the waist. “Our Father is Odin Yggr, and we must be returning to the palace for breakfast.”

Though Thor could not see Loki’s face, he could hear the smile in his brother’s voice, and it sent a thrill through him. 

Idunn’s smile spread, and she stooped down to her knees, skirt pooling around her, to put herself level with Loki. “My dear boy,” she said. “I do not care whose son you are. You have trespassed where you knew not to go, and you shall be punished for it.” Her hand moved faster than Thor could see, and she seized Loki by the chin. 

He stiffened and made to pull away, and Thor pulled his dagger, moving swiftly forward. He raised it as Loki began to scream and a shudder ran through Thor. He slammed the dagger down, driving its point between the bones of Idunn’s wrist, and threw his weight at her to drive her back, away from Loki. 

She hissed, eyes flaring, and pulled her hand back, wrenching the dagger from Thor’s grasp. He stumbled forward, then caught his balance and put himself between Loki and she. Thor’s hands knotted into fists and he raised them, snarling at the Lady. 

“Get back,” he said. “Or I will throw you to the dirt.” And he could, too; he knew he could. 

Idunn drew herself up to her full height and glared down at him. She pulled Thor’s dagger from her wrist slowly, not flinching once. When it was out, she dropped it to the grass, and Thor noticed that it was stained, not with blood, but with a golden sheen. 

“You,” she proclaimed, “are the true thief. The Prince with the silver tongue was merely defending _you_ , I see.” 

She stepped to the side and Thor shifted to follow her. Guilt twisted through him. He already knew it was his fault that Loki was in trouble, it was _always_ his fault. 

“I didn’t take anything,” Thor said. “I touched the apple that had fallen outside the orchard. It was spoiled, it had no seidr; I didn’t think you’d want it anymore.”

Idunn hissed and darted forward. Thor ducked under her grasp – a simple feat – and came up close enough to deliver a sharp slap to her face. He then went low again and retreated. He didn’t want to hurt the Lady, only dissuade her so that he and Loki could leave. 

“The apples are _mine_ ,” she said, eyeing him aslant. “I treasure _every one_ , no matter where they fall.”

“Fine,” Thor bit out. “I’m sorry. You can punish me however you want.” With an effort, he forced his hands to his sides and lifted his chin. “Just let my brother go.”

Loki would know what to do. No matter what Idunn decided to do to Thor, Loki would get him out of it and back home; Thor _knew_ it. 

Idunn’s smile returned and she looked over Thor’s shoulder. “We do not have a deal, young Prince. You cannot have your brother, for he is already mine.”

Thor stiffened, then whirled. When he saw what was behind him, he staggered backwards and gasped. 

There, standing hunched and twisted, was one of Idunn’s apples trees. It had not been there before, and moreover, Thor could almost see the silhouette of his brother within its bark, twisted and caged. 

“What have you done?” he roared, turning upon the witch. “Where is my brother?” But Thor knew; oh, he knew what had become of Loki.

“Do not play the fool,” Idunn said. “Your fate shall be the same. You and your brother shall pay for your theft by becoming part of my orchard, like all the others.”

At this, Thor’s gaze darted up and down the rows of trees; how many others had come before them, filled with greed or simply unlucky, and been doomed for eternity because of it? His heart beat wildly and he searched the grass for his dagger. 

“You shall bear me fruit,” Idunn said. She stepped around Thor, towards Loki – towards the tree which had been Loki. She reached down to her waist and lifted the great shears from her belt. They glinted in the early morning light. “And when you grow too unruly, and need trimming, I shall care for you like all the rest.”

The Lady Idunn’s fingers fit the shears perfectly, and with a practiced gesture she lifted them, opening the blades with a ringing _shk_. She grasped one of Loki’s branches and pulled it towards her, lowering the shears. 

Thor dove forward, snatching his dagger from the ground and running towards Idunn. He drove the dagger through her skirts, toward the place where he thought her thigh would be, and as soon as he felt the blade hit, threw himself backwards. 

She shrieked, more with surprise than pain as her leg was pulled out from under her and she tumbled to the grass. 

Thor wrenched the dagger from her leg and stumbled to his feet. Idunn rolled, shoving herself up on hands and knees and bringing her shining shears, her _pruning_ shears, around. She shoved them forward and Thor danced around them, keeping low. 

This was what he was good at, _this_ was what he could do – even if his heart was filled with sorrow at the fate of his brother. He would dig up Loki’s tree and carry it back to the palace if that was what it took, but he would _fix_ this. First, though, the Lady. 

Idunn lunged forward, and Thor ducked, but not quiet enough. She caught his shoulder and thrust him against the earth. Thor’s head hit the ground hard and his vision wavered, spun. Blindly, he shoved the dagger upward with all his might, driving it towards Idunn’s heart. 

He missed. 

Idunn twisted above Thor. Thin, gnarled fingers snatched at his long hair and grasped it. She pulled Thor up and sent him flying. 

He hit one of the trees – and he hoped it wasn’t Loki or anyone he knew – and spun off its trunk, gasping. 

He blinked, and saw to his surprise that his dagger was still in his hand. He looked up and saw Idunn straightening, striding towards him without concern. Her hair was wild and her skirt torn, but otherwise she looked exactly as he’d first seen her.

Thor wasn’t sure what else to do; he certainly couldn’t grasp her as he did his opponents in the ring – forget that she was a woman, she was _huge_ , and neither his hands nor a dagger would suffice, it seemed. There was only one thing he could think of to do. 

Loki had taught him this, halfway. He’d given up when Thor proved to be less than skillful at it, and proclaimed himself bored before stalking off. Nonetheless, Thor had continued to practice at odd times, and privately proclaimed himself rather… adequate with a thrown dagger. 

Thor braced himself, shifting his feet. He lifted the dagger, sighted, and whipped it forward in one smooth motion. Idunn had time for a single blink before the dagger sunk into her left eyebrow and she was clutching at her face.

Thor had only a moment for rejoicing.

“Thor!” 

His name was hissed from behind him, but _oh_ , Thor knew that hiss. He whirled, smile splitting his face already, to see Loki leaning out from behind one of the trees at the edge of the orchard. He was not bark-y at all, or gnarled, and looked perfectly all right. He beckoned to Thor, and Thor ran towards him, glad that his dagger had hit the Lady and distracted her – he’d been aiming for her throat, actually.

“You are all right!” Thor cried, and swept his brother into a hug. He turned and strode away, Loki in his arms, to the edge of the orchard. He would not let this reunion spoil their chances for escape. “How did you manage to break her spell?”

He let Loki go as his brother pounded upon his back, and when he did so, Loki flashed him a harried smile. He drew a deep breath and stepped away from Thor. 

“It is no matter. I merely needed time,” he said, and turned. “Ah.” He strode off towards Sleipnir, grasping the horse’s reins and vaulting onto his back in a single smooth movement. Sleipnir snorted and tossed his head. 

Loki turned the horse and reached towards Thor. “Well, are you coming?”

Behind them, Idunn cried out with betrayal, jolting Thor from his admiration of his brother. He strode forward and threw himself onto Sleipnir’s back. 

“Always, brother,” he said, and kicked Sleipnir’s sides. 

The horse snorted and bounded away, and Loki shouted with delight as he slid backwards and against Thor. 

-

Some time later, when the sun had risen above the trees and forced Thor to squint to see anything at all ahead of them, Thor remembered being woken in the middle of the night, and being teased with an adventure. 

He pulled Loki close to him and rested his chin on Loki’s shoulder. 

“Loki,” he said. “What was that surprise you wanted me to see?”

Loki shrugged, bouncing Thor’s chin off him. “Oh, I can’t recall,” he said, his voice strangely distorted. 

Thor frowned. Was this some remnant of Idunn’s spell, still threatening to harm Loki? Was she casting magic on Loki from afar? Thor leaned forward and peered over Loki’s shoulder to find that Loki’s lips were slick and shining gold, and his hand was filled with a fruit the color of blood. 

Thor gasped and saw that not only was Loki _eating_ one of Idunn’s apples, but he had a sack _filled_ with them on his lap. 

“You trickster!” Thor cried, realization of Loki’s scheme bursting upon him in an instant. “You were never under Idunn’s seidr! You simply cast a spell of your own and then snuck off to steal some of her apples while I fought the witch!”

He felt utterly betrayed and not a little bit bewildered, but at the same time thrilled. This was Loki, every bit of it. 

Loki swallowed audibly and wiped the juice from his chin with his sleeve. “So you have me all figured out,” he drawled. “Congratulations. It only took you until mid-morning. Really, Thor, if I hadn’t grown hungry I doubt you would have ever figured it out.”

“I would so,” Thor protested. 

“I highly doubt it,” Loki said. “Though you performed your part as a distraction for the Lady Idunn quite well; I suppose you have your uses after all.” He took another dainty bite of the apple. 

“Yes, I guess nearly dying to save your life is my only true purpose in life,” Thor muttered. 

Loki leaned back, pressed the sharp curve of his spine against Thor’s front and leaned his head on Thor’s shoulder. “Of course it is,” he sighed, and his lips curved into a smile. 

Thor snorted and snatched the apple from Loki’s hand. “Well then, let me be repaid,” he said. “Since you have kept me from my breakfast, it is only fair.”

Loki yelped and reached for the apple, but Thor quickly took a large bite, devouring half of what was left before Loki could stop him. 

Unlike the first apple that Thor had tasted, this one retained its magics. The taste sent a shiver through Thor, and as he swallowed he found himself feeling refreshed, awakened from the inside out. He blinked in surprise at the sensation, and Loki took his apple back. 

He took a slow bite, and Thor couldn’t help but notice how Loki’s gaze narrowed as he considered the bag of Idunn’s apples in his lap, how the skin of the fruit painted his smile bloody and fierce for an instant, and how his grasp on the apple was desperate with something more than hunger. 

Thor was simply too happy to care.


End file.
